Arsenal poised to sign Germany international defender Per Mertesacker from Werder Bremen

Arsenal will decide on Wednesday whether to make a move for the Chelsea pair
of Alex and Yossi Benayoun and push ahead with a renewed bid for Rennes
midfielder Yann M’Vila.

Solid as a rock: Per Mertesacker (left) is an uncompromising defenderPhoto: AFP

By Jason Burt and Rory Smith

8:00PM BST 30 Aug 2011

They will also complete the signings of defenders Per Mertesacker and Andre Santos as manager Arsène Wenger hastily overhauls his squad after the traumatic start to the season.

In what is expected to be a hectic transfer deadline day, Wenger wants at least one more signing to add to the arrival of striker Chu Young Park, Mertesacker and Santos and is hoping for more although he has not bowed to pressure to buy heavily from within the Premier League.

Alex’s future depends on whether Chelsea can sign a replacement but the fact that Arsenal are still interested in the Brazilian — having agreed a £8million deal to sign Mertesacker from Werder Bremen — would suggest they are in the market for a second central defender to bolster a team that has leaked goals.

Indeed it is understood that Arsenal had a second bid for Bolton’s Gary Cahill rejected in the last two days — ironic as Chelsea are considering Cahill, who is also wanted by Tottenham, should they sell Alex — while there were conflicting messages over the future of Blackburn captain Christopher Samba.

Arsenal are thought to have offered around £8million plus add-ons for Cahill with Bolton demanding £12million. In the meantime Spurs are understood to have stepped in and were in talks with Bolton having offered Sébastien Bassong plus cash for the England international.

It is believed that Bolton manager Owen Coyle would rather do a straight cash deal as he would want to use the money to sign other targets. Samba did not train with Blackburn on Tuesday and there were suggestions that he was in London although despite being linked to Arsenal for months there is yet to be a bid for him.

The future of another central defender is also about to be decided with Scott Dann, who has been scouted by a number of clubs including Arsenal, set to leave Birmingham and join either Bolton or Blackburn.

The signing of Mertesacker is a surprise even though he has long been under consideration by Wenger. The 26 year-old was granted permission to leave the German national camp to fly to London and undergo a medical after terms were agreed with Werder Bremen.

Mertesacker was due to fly back out on Tuesday night with an announcement expected on Wednesday after Arsenal exploited the German club’s financial plight to secure a player, in the last year of his contract, who is 6ft 6in tall and has a wealth of experience with 75 international caps.

Mertesacker was part of the German team which beat England 4-1 in the World Cup last summer. And he has been recalled to the squad to face Austria in their Euro 2012 qualifier on Friday after a heel injury suffered at the end of last season.

There will be concerns over Mertesacker’s lack of pace — something that has been flagged up by Arsenal’s scouting staff – but he could be an effective foil for Thomas Vermaelen although it appears that Wenger is also hoping to sign at least one more defender.

Santos is arriving from the Turkish club Fenerbahce with the 28-year-old Brazilian international costing around £6.2million. His signing confirms the sense that Wenger was unsure whether he could rely on Kieron Gibbs as a first-choice left-back.

None of the three signings secured by Wenger this week — the South Korean captain Park has arrived from the relegated French club side Monaco – has Premier League experience which will cause some concern among supporters.

Park, 26, who was a former target of Fulham, will cost Arsenal between £3million and £5million after the club hijacked his move to Lille. The former Asian footballer of the year failed to turn up for the second part of his medical at Lille, diverting to London to sign for Arsenal.

M’Vila is another who has not played in England but if he is secured it will cost Arsenal more than £20million which will beat the previous club record, paid for Andrei Arshavin. Arsenal may bid as high as £25million for M’Vila.

The 21 year-old plays for French side Rennes and it is believed that negotiations were reopened even though his current club remain reluctant to sell. Even so there have been talks with Arsenal over M’Vila throughout the summer.